Garden
by Kobayashi Shiki
Summary: At tender 15 Squall already knows that the world isn't all sugar sweet goodness, but soon he learns just how right he is & what others do to cope. Full Warnings inside. DISCONTINUED.
1. Dark Light

Chapter 1

Thunderstorms were always impressive in Balamb, next to the ocean, giant mountains behind and forests and open plains all around it. Lightning dashed from the sky illuminating the mountains and lighting up the horizon, students of Balamb Garden rejoiced because whenever there was a thunderstorm they could always count on one thing, no electricity and without any electricity it meant dark light parties.

The quad was their destination, the barest of lighting from bolt spells that had been cast just below the roof, air so dense and humid from the body heat of the hundreds of students that had crammed themselves into the quad. Sweat running down their bodies as they danced to a nameless melody that one of the other students had created.

Each danced with a friend or on their own to break the tension that countless hours of training and studying had created in their bodies and to enjoy the experience a simple storm had created.

It wasn't just students that were there though, SeeDs of all ranks were amongst their ranks enjoying themselves and letting the pressure of their missions drain away as they lost themselves in the music

"Headmaster."

Brought out of his thoughts by the soft intrusion Cid turned his gaze towards the faculty member standing on the other side of his desk. "Another one?" He asked, already knowing what the other had come to tell him.

"Yes sir, it seems no few number of SeeDs have joined this time. Shall we break it up?" He asked politely.

The headmaster leaned back in his chair and thought about it for a moment. "No, leave them be, it's been a while since they were able to relax like this, let them enjoy it while it lasts. But station a few of the faculty outside the quad just in case."

"Sir."

Cid watched the robed faculty member bow and leave then let his eyes slide shut. It had been over four months since Balamb had its last storm so tonight would be a good opportunity for the students and SeeDs alike to take some time off their oppressive work and have fun. He knew that some of faculty frowned on the idea of letting the 'children' run lose but he knew what happened when you went for month after month of strenuous work without a break. He had decided when the first party had come about that he would much rather have the student take that small, fleeting opportunity to unwind then to have them break under the pressure so soon in their training. Not when things could go bad at any moment.

So he let them be and they respected him for it and worked that much harder to prove the deserved their 'dark light parties' as they called them. Grades and attendance averages had not suffered and while tiring, no students had been harmed by the gatherings so there was no reason to put a stop to them.

And who knew, maybe they would make friends and forge a bond that would keep them together when they really needed it most.

"Come on Leonhart, relax and enjoy the party."

Squall glared up at the taller teen then turned away in disgust. "Why am I here?"

Seifer grinned at him then poked his shoulder. "You're here 'cos you lost the fight and you agreed to do me a favor if you lost. You lost and you're here."

"..."

"Lighten up, cruise around. You never know you might meet someone and get laid, maybe then you'll fucking relax." Seifer said with a lopsided grin then he caught sight of someone amongst the massive throng of sweaty bodies and his grin spread. "Speakin' of getting laid...I'm gonna be over there, you run along and play."

With that Seifer took off into the crowd leaving a silently seething brunette behind.

_Why does he have to treat me like that, I'm not a child. I hate him so much sometimes. Why did he bring me here of all places especially if he was just going to abandon me?_

He looked around lost in thought trying to remember the last time he'd seen the quad packed like it was then suddenly he was confronted with a smiling face.

"Hey there cutie, come here often?" The owner of the smile teased playfully.

"...whatever." Squall muttered then turned away from the intruder only to be spun around again.

"Come on, relax, it's a party. Are you here with someone?" The teen asked him.

Squall was about to turn away again but instead he looked the other teen over and sized him up. He was taller than him by a few inches and had jet black hair and ice blue eyes. He had an athletic build and pale skin that accentuated his hair and eyes along with his pink lips, the brunette had to admit he was a very attractive person. It was what he was wearing that really grabbed Squalls attention though. A black midriff top that fit like a second skin and left the majority of his abdomen bare along with a tight pair of pants that could have been leather but in the low lighting it was hard to make out just what kind they were.

When Squall finally met they other boys eyes again he saw him grin. "See something you like?" He asked teasingly.

Squall was about to reply when a voice cut him off. "Leave him alone Leo."

Leo looked over his shoulder and his grin broadened. "Awww but Lai, he's so cute, look at him."

Lai moved up beside his ebony haired friend and Squall looked him over, long light hair, most probably blond, knee length hair tied back loosely at the nape of his neck, pale skin and light eyes that seemed to glow in the low light. He was roughly 5'5" the same height as him and had the same slender but toned build. He was wearing fairly casual clothes compared to his friend a sleeveless white shirt with a complicated design on the chest and a pair of dark pants. Regardless of how simple an outfit it was somehow it seemed to look quite stylish on the other teen.

Somewhere at the back of his mind he couldn't help but notice that this guy, Lai could give his friend a run for his money where appearance and personality were concerned, if he really was a guy, Squall wasn't entirely sure.

He smiled apologetically to Squall. "I apologize for my friends behavior, he can get a little carried away sometimes." A male voice, but only barely, it was very light and gentle almost like he was talking near a sleeping infant.

"Sometimes?" Leo scoffed and tried to suppress his grin and scowl at his friend but failed and instead his grin grew even larger that it was previously.

Lai ignored him and offered his hand to Squall. "My name is Lai and my friend's name is Leo."

The brunette stared down at the offered hand then back up at its owner. "Squall."

The light haired teen smiled and withdrew his hand. "You looked a little lost, is it your first time to one of these parties?"

Squall simply nodded then lowered his gaze to the floor thoughtfully.

"Newbie!" Leo exclaimed and was about to say something else but Lai cut him off.

"Isn't that Bayne over there?" He asked pointing off randomly into the crowd.

"Where?...oh there he is!" Leo said then disappeared into the writhing mass of bodies.

For a long while the two stood there in silence the music raging around them but falling on deaf ears before finally Lai tapped Squall on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go."

Squalls head snapped up and his hand flashed up grabbing hold of the other just as it was moving away from him. "Don't touch me." Lai simply smiled at him and waited. "Fine, where?"

"There's a place I go to think, you seem like the kind of person who thinks a lot."

"Whatever."

Taking that as a yes he moved past Squall then motioned him to follow as he stared to walk towards the exit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lai leaned back against the rail and regarded Squall through slitted eyes as he took a deep breath. "What do you think?"

Squall moved over to the rail and leaned over slightly to gaze at the ground far beneath him. "I didn't know there was a place like this in the training area."

"Not many people do, most of the faculty doesn't know it's here."

"Then how?" Squall asked, turning away from the view to look at the teen next to him.

He smiled gently then turned his eyes forward. "A few years ago, just after this place was built some of the early SeeDs used the money they were earning on missions to build this place so they'd have somewhere to escape to with their sweethearts." He turned his gaze back just as a look of confusion pass over Squalls face. "Don't worry, almost everyone's at the party so no one else will be coming up here."

"That wasn't..."

_What's he thinking, bringing me to a place like this, he said he comes here to think...is that all he does here?_

"Sometimes it's nice...to be away from other people."

Squall turned sharply to look at the other boy.

Lai smiled but Squall noticed it had a somewhat sad look to it. "Sorry, I suppose you don't need me to interrupt. Stay up here as long as you like, just...watch out when you leave, some of the monsters here would love a fresh dinner."

Without saying anything else he turned and made his way to the door then quietly left.

It was nearly an hour before he went back to his room, the power had come back on but the storm was still lingering, thunder rumbling every now and then otherwise everything was quiet apart from the lonely call of a single grasshopper, Squall couldn't figure out for the life of him how it got all the way into Garden and to the dorms without getting stepped on.

Squall couldn't bring himself to be surprised when he saw Seifer leaning against the wall beside the door to his room. "Where've you been?"

He shrugged and deftly entered his ID code into the small touch screen computer on the wall behind Seifer's back.

"I've been waiting for a while." Seifer stated calmly, following the brunette as he entered the room.

He moved into his room without bothering to close the door behind him, moving over to his closet he removed his shirt and threw it into the washing hamper in the corner of his room. He heard Seifer move in the room and could feel the his green eyes boring into him as he opened the closed and reached inside.

"I saw that piece of arse you left with."

He shrugged half heartedly and grabbed a shirt randomly out of the small selection inside.

"So, what happened?" Seifer pressed with a smirk.

_What happened?_

"Nothing." He muttered quietly and began to pull the shirt over his head when two strong hands grabbed hold of him from behind.

"Really? Shame." The blond said as he brought his head down next to Squall's ear. "I was almost hoping you'd get laid, but then again, this way there's more for me." He whispered, breathing hot air against his neck.

He could smell alcohol on the older teens breath.

"You're drunk." He observed quietly as the blonds hands started to move across his chest and stomach, drawing patterns with his fingers.

"Yeah, s'pose I am." He muttered then roughly shoved Squall back onto his bed the crossed to the door and activated the locking sequence. "But that makes things fun."

Squall scowled, watching as Seifer moved over to the side of the bed and stood there staring down at him. Unconsciously Squalls body tensed and his hands fisted, clutching the sheets beneath him.

_Can't he leave me alone...can't he find someone else?_

Rough hands pushed him down into the bed then moved to the belt at his waist and roughly pulled at it until it came loose. The blond threw it to the side blindly then quickly moved onto Squalls pants.

"Seifer..."

Button undone and unzipped then pants were ripped from his body to reveal more pale skin and a pair of black silk boxers. Tossing his pants aside Seifer leaned down close to the brunettes flawless face.

"Seifer..."

What ever Squall meant by saying his name it went unheard as Seifer moved down and kissed the younger teen for all he was worth.

~~~~~~~~~~  
(Seifer POV)

Hyne, kissing him is so fucking intoxicating.

Running my hands across his stomach over that flawless surface, smooth except for those muscles he's gotten from training so hard. Kissing him I can feel warmth that no one bothers to notice, warmth that he's been hiding.

A moan passes my lips into his and his body arches upwards into my hands. I move them up and start to caress his nipples twirling them between thumb and index finger, I know he likes it 'cos he sends my moan right back at me. I can feel those long dark eyelashes of his flutter while I kiss him.

There it is he's kissing back now so fierce it's almost like another fight, in a way I guess it is. I can feel him now through those silky boxers through my pants, moving my mouth from his I make my way downward leaving trails of kisses as I head down coming to a stop at the waistband. Using my free hand I start pulling them down slowly letting my tongue make a trail mimicking their decent. Finally the prize surrounded by a scattering of dark hair. I let my tongue travel down past that hair then finally I'm there, he's hard and I can't help but think that that sinewy muscle is going to waste with him always on his own. Moving down a little further I lick the tip, the slightest of movements but it's enough to make him gasp.

I can't restrain my grin as I lick at his arousal again and hear the same sound. Hyne hearing that was almost as good as experiencing it. Damn I can feel my own dick and it wants out of these jeans, I can't blame it.

I pause in my licking and stand next to the bed, looking down at him while I undo my belt and unzip the damn pants.

Hyne seeing him like this, naked, kiss bruised lips, tousled hair and hazy eyes...Hyne I'd give my soul to keep this, to see him like this again.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I could almost swear that there was someone else in there messin' with me, watching, listening, accepting my offer.

/Your mission is before you boy/

Letting my jeans fall along with my boxers I glide back on top of him and kiss him again deeply before breaking it and moving back down I give him one more lick just to hear that gasp. There it is, that sound, I look up to see his head pressed back into his pillows. That's it, I can't stand it anymore, it feels like I'm gonna burst.

I use my free arm to lift his leg up onto my shoulder then I move into position.

/Complete your mission/

He watches me from under all those dark lashes of his as I move into place, Hyne having him watch me like that, it's almost enough to make me nervous. No more waiting with one quick thrust of my hips I'm inside him and it's so tight and hot that I don't even hear the almost scream he makes or how he bites his lip to stop from screaming. I set the pace, thrusting in and out and Hyne it feels like I'm going to explode.

/Complete the mission, boy/

I let go of Squalls wrists from where I was holding them above his head and use the hand to help steady his hips, if only he'd stop squirming so much. I ignore it and focus on my job, moving in and out ignoring how his hands turn into fists and clench the sheets to the point where I'm sure I'll hear them tear soon and how the smell of rich coppery blood tingles my nose. All that matters is the mission, the task, not the sheets, not the blood and not Squalls dick that isn't hard anymore, nothing, nothing but the mission.


	2. Catch Me When I Fall

Chapter 2

Squall groaned in his sleep then began to stir, soon his eyes were open and he was looking around groggily. Memories came flooding back to him in a rush. He had passed out a little after Seifer had left leaving him an unconscious heap in the mess that had been made. Now wide awake the sheets were the first to go and he roughly ripped them from his small bed. Luckily his class was halfway through learning how to use spells so the students were allowed to draw and store them and despite Balamb being a small island, fire spells were far from uncommon. He incinerated the sheets with a fire spell then carefully replaced them with spare sheets from his cupboard, moving very slowly and grunting in pain when he bent over to tuck in the corners while making a mental note to purchase new sheets when he next got leave to go into town.

He straightened gingerly and surveyed his work, seeing it met with his standard he shifted his gaze to the clock beside his bed. 3:00am. Everyone would be sound asleep by now so it would be safe for him to venture into the shower block without anyone seeing him.

He reached into his wardrobe and withdrew a robe and carefully secured it to his frame then checked himself over in the full length mirror next to him to make sure that if he did encounter anyone they wouldn't be able to tell what had happened. If there was nothing else Squall could always be proud of his ability to conceal what he did not want anyone else to see or know.

Picking up his shower kit he reached inside his cupboard and withdrew a large towel, it was dark blue, dark enough to conceal any residue blood that he might have missed while washing, even though the chances of that were slim at best. Squall had always been quite particular about his cleanliness, he made sure his form was immaculate at all times, the only exception to that was when he was training. There was really no way he could keep completely tidy when going against Seifer or one of the monsters in the training centre.

He sighed through his nose then gingerly made his way to the showers.

As expected no one else was in sight.

Stripping off his robe and hanging it in his locker, he headed into the showers. It was handy, each section of the dorms had their own shower block so there were forty personal lockers assigned to each of the students. The shower room itself was made into a huge round circle with shower spouts and handles all the way around and another round group of shower heads in the centre making it impossible to see the entire room no matter where you stood. He made his way into the circular room and listened intently for any signs that he had missed something and that there was someone else in there.

Hearing nothing he continued in and picked his usual place just away from the door but close enough that he could see the doorway. Satisfied he turned on the water and waited until the heat began to fog the area around him and the temperature stung his skin. Stepping under the scalding water he began the slow and painful task of erasing the physical past, erasing all telltale signs of what had happened.

Ten minutes later his world froze, someone was coming into the room.

He panicked inwardly, hoping there was enough fog to cover what he hadn't been able to wash away yet. He waited and watched as the person made his way into the room.

Suddenly a pale leg passed through the open doorway then it's owner passed through. A boy of average height, no taller than he with skin even paler to the point that it appeared to be as white as the tiles that covered the room. His appeared to be very toned and slender in build much like himself and he walked with a kind of grace that screamed even though he had yet to utter a word. Knee length white hair trailed along behind him as he walked then folded around him when he stopped and looked about the room.

Eventually his eyes moved in Squalls direction.

"Hello?" A soft voice, questioning and uncertain, maybe even a tiny hint of fear was present as he frowned slightly.

Squall stared at the boy, teen, his voice sounded familiar but he couldn't quite place where he had heard it so instead he stared intently at his face. Insanely delicate and feminine features rested there and almost made Squall doubt the obvious male gender that the other teens nakedness revealed. Everything was perfectly balanced from his fine white eyebrows that resided over his angled strangely golden eyes to his full pink lips and high cheekbones, it was almost unnerving.

"Hello? Is someone there?" The soft voice called again.

Squall frowned, he was sure the fog wasn't that thick that it would stop someone from seeing him. "Yes." He said, then wondered why he had decided to answer this time. Then suddenly the voice and the face came together under a name. Lai. The guy he had met at the Dark Light Party, the guy who had shown him the hide away in the training centre. "You're Lai." He said quietly.

Instantly the other boy smiled, his entire face lighting up in a way that would make someone week at the knees, luckily he was different. "Squall? Is that you?" He asked and slowly began to make his way toward him.

"Stay away from me." The brunette demanded suddenly.

The teen stopped then tilted his head to one side. "Squall?"

"Yes...just don't come near me."

"It's okay...if your shy, I can't see you." Lai said quietly then continued closer.

Squall frowned. "There isn't that much fog..."

Lai blinked then smiled sadly. "I'm blind, I can't see anything even if I want to."

On impulse Squalls hand shot out and he waved it in font of his face and Lai frowned then lifted one hand up to bat Squall's away. "Stop that, it's annoying."

"I thought you couldn't see anything."

"I can't." The white haired youth said slightly impatiently as he reached for the tap. "But I can still feel the wind a persons hand makes when they wave it in front of my face like that...it's a little hard to miss."

Squall frowned mimicking Lai's earlier expression. "Hn..."

They stood there for a while under the water, Lai washing his body and Squall staring off into the distance, lost in thought. Finally Lai spoke. "Squall...can you do me a favour?"

Squall tilted his head to one side even though he now knew the other teen wouldn't be able to see it.

"Could you wash my back for me?" He asked quietly, his face downcast. "I can't stretch my arms far behind my back...Leo usually does it for me but..."

/He isn't here/ Squall finished silently.

They stayed like that for a while before Squall took a hesitant step towards Lai followed by another until he was standing just to the side of him. Lai sighed then raised the red washcloth he was using. Squall took it silently then moved behind him.

Silently Lai raised his hands and grabbed his hair just bellow his ears and pulled it aside, as soon as he did so Squall was stunned into a semi petrified state.

Scars laced the perfect white skin, jagged and long ruining and turning it into a cruel and sickening display. Some of them were small and hardly noticeably but others, the longer, deeper ones, were dark in colour and stood out, making anyone who saw them painfully aware of what kind of pain could have come with such an injury.

Sensing the brunettes shock Lai self-consciously bowed his head swallowed loudly, he opened his mouth to speak but was stopped by the familiar feel of the fluffy cloth gently being touched to his back.

"I suppose you can't wash your hair either?"

Lai smiled softly at the question and shook his head, making sure he was still holding his hair out of the way while Squall gently washed his back. The brunette diligently cleaned the marred skin with a meticulousness he always used but allowed a gentleness into his touch that he never allowed himself. Finally when he was done he handed back the cloth over the teens shoulder. "Wet your hair." He instructed quietly and waited patiently while the white haired youth followed his instruction.

When his hair was suitably soaked he moved it all back behind him before reaching down into his shower kit for his shampoo. He handed it to Squall over his shoulder without a word.

Squall flipped off the lid then squirted a healthy amount into one palm before using the side of his hand to close the lid. Setting the bottle down he took hold of Lai's long hair with one hand then began to rub in the shampoo with the other. Slowly he began to massage the solution into his hair and scalp, working from roots to tips then back again repeatedly. A soft sigh passed through Lai's lips and he leaned back slightly into the touch.

/.../

"How did you know...who I was?" Squall asked quietly as he worked.

"The sound of your voice."

"Hn."

When he was done Squall put his hands lightly on Lai's shoulders and applied just enough pressure to get him to turn around, he did so but he hesitated. When Squall had him face to face with him it was obvious why with the beginnings of an erection stirring between the other boys legs.

"Squall.."

"Be quiet." The brunette commanded in a hushed voice even though there was no one else there to hear them. /It's only a reaction to physical contact, it means nothing./ Squall assured himself before pressing on Lai's shoulders to put him beneath the pouring water to rinse his hair.

While the warm water washed the lather from Lai's hair Squall ducked down and plucked the conditioner from the other teens shower kit and uncapped it. He straightened then leaned forward to check that the long white hair had been rinsed clean then turned the boy again and began to work a healthy dollop of the substance into his hair.

"Squall..."

"I said...be quiet." He interrupted again keeping his voice soft and infusing it with the ice like calm he was known for.

Lai sighed and merely standing still while the brunette worked, so still that with his apparent 'perfection' and pale colouring that he could be easily mistaken for a statue, provided he keep his eyes covered. Gold eyes, the one thing that counteracted the rest of his appearance, driving away people as quickly as his looks attracted them. It was a relief sometimes knowing that no one could hold his gaze, that no one could stare into his golden eyes and see what hid behind them.

"Were you born like this?" Squall asked, breaking his self imposed silence as he began to massage Lai's scalp.

"No."

/Then how did it happen? Was it the same thing that gave you these scars?/ Squall thought to himself as he worked. He continued to work all the possibilities through his mind but was rudely jostled back into reality when he realised his hands were empty.

Blinking he frowned at the sight of Lai leaning against the cold tiled wall panting and shivering. /What happened?/

Lai's eyes were half closed and were filled with a dazed expression.

/How long was I thinking?/

"I...I'm sorry, Squall...I."

"Don't apologise, I hate it...so don't." Squall told him sharply before letting the calm sink back into his voice. "Come here."

Lai stayed where he was for a moment then pushed away from the wall and took shaky steps toward Squall, one arm outstretched to catch himself if he fell even though there was nothing to grab hold of. He had almost made it across the distance when his knees suddenly gave out and he began to fall.

On instinct Squall dived forward and caught hold of him before he could fall any further. He held the trembling teen against him without a word and simply waited for him to get his breath back, to get his knees to stop shaking and strengthen again.

After ten minutes it became obvious that Lai wasn't going to recover anytime soon so Squall decided to get him out of the shower block and the heat. Carefully bracing Lai against him he moved quickly to turn of the water, both from Lai's shower and his own which he had neglected when the white haired teen had made his appearance. He picked up Lai with both arms then like the damsels in distress he remembered reading about as a kid then kicked both his and Lai's shower kits across the room as he went, for once thankful for the swivel doors on the shower room.

He lay Lai down on a bench for a moment as he recovered his robe then scanned the lockers until he found Lai's, against the back wall and moved to grab the robe out of it. He brought it back then lifted the other teen enough to get him into it then stopped suddenly, wondering where he could take him.

The Infirmary was out of the question because it was closed between midnight and six am. He had no idea which room was Lai's so taking him their was also ruled out, everything was shut down and locked up until six am leaving only one place that Squall could safely get to. His own room.

Somehow he managed to carry Lai there without being seen or losing either shower kits though he did notice that his shower had been turned into a complete waste of time as he was now covered in a light sheen of sweat.

Squall laid the teen down on his bed before going back to shut and lock his door. He stood there for a moment to catch his breath before he shot a quick look back to the bed to see if Lai was still oblivious before he quickly striped off his robe and wiped the sweat from his body with it then pulled out items of clothing at random and quickly threw them on then picked up the shower kits and moved them to one side then threw his soggy robe into the laundry hamper.

With a sigh he turned back to the bed and moved to stand next to it. Leaning over he placed a hand on Lai's forehead to test his temperature and found it warm but he couldn't be sure if it was from a fever or the shower. When he moved his hand away again he found a half lidded pair of eyes gazing up at him.

"Squall..."

"What?"

"Thanks."

"Hn."

"I'm sorry...I'll go." Suddenly the white haired teen started to push himself up off the bed. He was halfway up when he suddenly pitched forward but luckily Squall was there to catch him again.

The brunette gently lay the teen back on his bed and shook his head. "Stay here, the last thing you need is to pass out in the hallway where anyone can get to you." Squall said, unbidden an image of Seifer's smirking face appeared in his mind.

Lai smiled up at him tiredly. "At least...you're here to catch me...when I fall." He said before he slipped carelessly into oblivion.

Squall watched his sleeping form for a moment. /You're wrong Seifer...I'm not just ice./


	3. Test

Chapter 3

Zell shuffled out of the cafeteria.

Rejected again.

The hotdogs were gone before he had even gotten there.

He sighed and kicked at the tiled floor as he walked, things weren't going his way today. Hell they hadn't all week.

He had gotten picked on nearly everyday.

Standing at four feet eight inches didn't make him a very imposing figure and his baby-like face only added fuel to the fire. Even some of the first year kids made fun of him, then ran.

It was easier that way, for him at least.

Even if he wasn't bulky or tall he was fast, very fast when he needed to be.

It was something he prided himself on, that way he could keep out of as much trouble as he could, at least the kind of trouble he couldn't take care of on his own. The last thing he needed was for his mother to hear about the fights and bruises and make him commute from home again like he used to before he had convinced her to let him move into the dorms.

His first day at Garden was spent like everyone else's, answering surveys and doing tests, getting physicals done then psych tests on top of that.

It was intense to say the least but he figured it was just something they had to do, to let the guys up top know what they were all capable of. Warrior Monthly put the Gardens at the top for schools, because not only did it teach you the normal academic stuff that other normal schools taught but it taught you how to fight, to protect yourself in tense situations, should they ever occur.

Then if they thought you were ready they taught you how to fight seriously, open hand and weapon training, provided you pass the psych tests. But that was only fair he thought, the last thing the garden needed was to be blamed for teaching some whacko how to use a sword properly, or a gun or a whip.

Zell grinned despite himself, with all the different weapons they could teach you how to use it was hard to make a choice which one you wanted to use, if you passed the test that is.

His grin broadened as he recalled that his own test was going to begin in less than an hour, not just him, all of his class was getting tested.

A shiver of excitement passed through him as he made his way into the library, then remembered that by the time he finally chose a book and checked it out he'd probably be late for his first weapons class, therefore he would be late for the test and he doubted if they'd let him start halfway through, even if the test was on their consoles.

He did a quick 180 and headed back around the other side, past the Infirmary and the Quad then patiently waited for the elevator to touch down.

A soft ding sounded and the doors opened, he waited for everyone to get out of before he danced in and moved to the back then hummed along to a song that had been running through his head since he heard it earlier that day.

He looked up as the shadow of two other people spread across the floor of the elevator. They belonged to two boys roughly the same age as him, both of them were taller than him, he noted with a sigh.

They were completely different, the guy on the left was around five-seven with an athletic build and had short black hair with bangs, lightly tanned skin and ice blue eyes that were surrounded by long dark lashes. He wore faded jeans that were lose around his calves and ankles but were skin tight around his thighs and butt, they sat rather low on his hips but pooled around his sneakers. His top was a black sleeveless muscle shirt that clung to his like a second skin and left nearly an inch of his stomach bare. Around his neck he wore a black choker that had a tiny silver cross dangling from it that heavily contrasted with his skin colour but fit because of his hair and eye colour.

The boy on the right on the other hand was five-five and had a slender figure but there didn't appear to be an ounce of fat on his body. He had long white hair that reach all the way down to his knees, but he noticed a hair tie hanging loosely around his left wrist. His skin was pale, just a few shades darker than his hair and had weirdly golden eyes that seemed to be able to see all of your secrets even if they weren't directed at you. He was wearing a lose plain long sleeve red t-shirt and a pair of black slacks that didn't appear to have a single crease. A simple silver chain dangled around his neck, coming to a stop roughly where Zell guessed his collar bones were.

They took their places to the left of the elevator and the dark haired boy turned his gaze to the keypad next to him to see what level it was set at then switched his gaze to Zell. "Hey, what class have you got now?" He asked.

His voice, the blond boy noticed, was light and but had a slight husky quality that Zell guessed would only become more intense as he finished growing up.

"Weapons I, you?" He answered conversationally.

The other boys smiled. "Same for the both of us, what group?"

Zell tilted his head to one side for a moment. "C10."

"The same as us." The white haired boy said quietly and Zell had to fight hard to suppress a shiver he couldn't explain. There was just something about the guys voice that effected him in a way that he couldn't describe, but then again maybe it was just his stomach angry at him for not eating. "My name is Lai Cresent and my friend here is Leo Lee."

Another shiver suppressed. "I'm Zell, Zell Dincht."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Zell." Lai said politely then smiled.

For some reason the blond couldn't help but return the smile. "Same here."

"So anyway, what weapon are you gonna pick?" Leo inquired, an excited smile on his face.

Zell kicked the floor thoughtfully and watched as two more boys made their way into the elevator, these two he already knew from their reputations, Seifer Almasy and Squall Leonhart. Just his luck that he'd have a class with Seifer this year, so far it was the only one but since it was the first day of the new semester it was a little hard to say if there were any others.

He noted the quick glance both Seifer and Squall gave him then watched as they passed over to the other two boys and stayed there for significantly longer.

"I don't know, I guess it all depends on the tests, I seriously can't decide what weapon I'd use yet." He answered truthfully.

Seifer snorted. "Don't waste your time, they're not gonna let a short arse brat like you anywhere near a weapon."

"Shut up Seifer, it's not like they'll let a psycho like you near one either." Zell said boldly, but he shuffled a little closer to Lai so he'd be as far away from the taller blond as possible.

Lai took that moment to speak up again. "What weapon would you like to use if you pass the test, Squall?" He asked politely.

Squall blinked, obviously awoken from whatever he was thinking about and looked at Lai. "...A Gunblade."

"Same here." Seifer said grinning down at the brunette.

Leo whistled. "Wow, I heard those are really hard to used, with the balance for the blade and adjusting to the gun's recoil."

Zell raised an eyebrow as he gazed around Lai at Leo. "You know a lot about weapons?"

"Just what I read mostly, but since I'm taking the class I thought I should at least learn a bit about it." The raven haired boy answered in a matter of fact tone.

Lai chuckled softly. "It's too bad you don't put that kind of enthusiasm into the rest of your schoolwork."

"That shit's boring, life's too short to live it bored." Leo said, making a face to show his opinion on the matter.

Seifer snorted. "Finally, a man after my own heart. What group are you?"

"All three of us are in C10."

"Make that five, Squall and me are in there too."

Way too much of a coincident in Zell's mind. He watched as a few other students approached the elevator but stopped and turned around when they saw Seifer in it, at least that's what he thought. The doors slid shut and the elevator lurches before beginning its accent.

Seifer looked from one teen to the other. "What other subjects have you guys got?"

"Advanced Magic III, GF I, First Aid III, Advanced Maths IV, Advanced English I, Advanced Physical III, Science III, Art IV, Music II, Food and Health II and Advanced Psychology IV." Lai answered clearly.

Zell's eyes widened as he counted out the subjects, twelve and most of them were all high difficulty ones, especially Advanced Psychology and Advanced Magic, they were nearly impossible to get into.

Seifer whistled softly in appreciation. "Shit you've got a lot of hard classes, is that for both of you?"

"Yeah, we're stuck together." Leo said jokingly. "What about you?"

"I'm in GF I, Maths I, Magic III, English II, Science I, Advance Physical III, and First Aid III." Seifer answered, counting them off on his fingers.

"What about you Squall?" Lai inquired softly.

Zell counted off the ones he had heard so far, not expecting him to answer as was usual for him but his train of thought was broken by a quiet, indifferent voice.

"Advanced Magic III, GF I, First Aid III, Advanced Psychology III, Art III, Advanced Maths IV, Advanced English II, Music II, Advanced Physical III, Science I."

They all looked at Squall before Seifer cut the silence. "You too huh? Well, shit."

Zell quickly counted them off with his fingers. He had GF I, First Aid III and Advanced Physical III with all of them. He had Music II with Lai, Leo and Squall and Art III with Squall. Science III and Food and Health with Leo and Lai.

He had at least two subjects with all of them.

The elevator lurched to a stop and the doors opened with a soft ding, the crowd in front of the elevator parted to let them pass and they headed down the hallway to their classroom.

"It looks like we've all got some classes together." Lai said pleasantly as they moved into their class and took seats close together so they could keep talking.

"I guess, hey you guys didn't tell us what weapons you were gonna use." Seifer pointed out as he sat down next to Squall at the back of the room.

"If I pass I'm gonna use a halberd or a whip, something like that, different." Leo informed them cheerfully.

"As for me...I think I'd prefer to stick to something more simple, like a staff." Lai said thoughtfully as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on the console in front of him and rested his head in his hands giving him and almost child like appearance.

More and more students began to flow in as the soft chime rang to signify that classes were about to begin. Zell blinked then looked up at the clock at the front of the class, he could have sworn there was at least half a hour to go. He looked up at the clock for a few moments then looked down at his watch, his was late. He stared at it for a minute then swore quietly when he realised why.

Lai turned his head towards the blond and tilted it to the side slightly. "Is something wrong?"

"Not really, my watch is dead." He said grumpily.

The other teen pursed his lips thoughtfully then deftly pushed back his right sleeve and took of the watch there. "Here, you can use mine, I don't use it anyway, it's just for when this guy forgets his." He said making a gesture with his head toward Leo.

"You sure?" Zell asked as he slowly reached over to take the offered object.

Lai smiled softly. "I'm sure, you can give it back when you get yours fixed. Plus I can always sic Leo here on you if you lose it or something."

Zell bobbed his head and carefully attached the black and silver watch to his left wrist then removed his own. "Thanks, I'll take good care of it." He promised.

Lai smiled then looked up towards the door, seconds later their instructor entered. She was blond with hair to her shoulders, thin framed glasses perched on the ridge of her nose and her outfit clung to her figure while maintaining a modest appearance. "Who's the fuck is she?" Seifer asked quietly.

Leo looked over his shoulder at him. "That's Quistis Trepe, she's fifteen, a SeeD and she just got accepted as an instructor. She's the youngest instructor Garden's ever had. Blond hair, blue eyes and creamy skin, she's not bad looking either." He added after a quick glance to the front of the class.

"Eyes front please." She called over the soft chatter the students were making, then continued as soon as everything was quiet. "My name is Quistis Trepe, provided you pass your tests, I'll be one of the instructors helping to teach you how to fight and if you choose the path, to become a SeeD."

There was a moment of excited whispering before things quietened down again.

"Now, if there's anything you think I need to know before we start please tell me now." She said firmly, scanning the seats for any possible troublemakers.

Leo quietly slid out of his seat and headed to the front of the class, when he got there he pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to her. She opened it and read it quickly before nodding and saying something quietly. He pointed up into the seats where he had been sitting and said something. She nodded again then they talked quietly for a moment before he turned and headed back to his seat.

Squall watched the exchange quietly, guessing what it was for and knew he was probably right. "What was that about?" Seifer asked quietly, leaning forward in his seat.

"Just letting her know about my tiny attention span." The raven haired boy joked easily before turning back to face the front.

Quistis waited for another minute before picking up a clipboard from the desk behind her and looking at it. She picked up a pen from behind her then turned her gaze back to the class. "Alright, when I call your name please respond."

She quickly ran through the list of names pausing for a moment at Squall and Lai's names then grimacing at Seifer's then sat then pen and clipboard back onto the desk then moved behind it and took a seat. "Good, now we can get started, turn on your consoles and log in, once in there you'll find a new category entitled Weapon Psych, enter it then you can begin the first test. There's no time limit but you will not be allowed to leave until you have completed the test, There is to be no discussing of questions or answers and you are expected to answer truthfully. Now, begin."

Squall deftly turned on his console and typed in his username and password then clicked on the said category. The first question came up on the screen.

Are you: A)Male B)Female C)Do not wish to disclose

Squall frowned but picked his answer, as soon as he did so the next one appeared.

Have you ever cried without reason? A)Yes B)No

No.

Have you ever wished to cause another living being bodily harm? A)Yes B)No C)Not Sure

For a moment his fingers hovered over the keyboard as he contemplated the answer.

Yes.

If you have was it: A)To protect yourself B)To protect someone else C)You were angry D)No particular reason E)More than one of the above F)All of the above G)You have never wanted to cause harm to another living being

/How would you answer something like this, no matter what you do you're incriminating yourself/ He thought absently but clicked his answer.

Do you consider yourself to be normal?

There was no specific answers to choose from bellow the question, instead there was a box to type in a specific answer. Squall thought about it for a moment then wrote in his answer. /The answer depends on what the standard of normal is, I am myself, nothing more, nothing less/

With a sigh he clicked for the next question and after reading decided it was going to be a long class.


	4. Storms

Chapter 4

{The next day}

There was a tense wait for the results of the test, what made it worse was for those who had passed the test, another one was waiting for them.

Zell kicked at the tiled floor absently while he waited for his turn. He was in the infirmary waiting to be given his physical, the second last test he had to endure before he could get down to business and learn how to do some serious damage.

A student appeared from one of the rooms and Doctor Kadowaki followed close behind looking down at a clipboard she was holding. "Alright, next we have...Dincht, Zell Dincht." She looked up from the clipboard and gazed at the line of students along the wall.

Zell gave a small wave and pushed off from the wall and made his way past the doctor into the room she had just come out of. She followed and drew the curtain behind her. "Alright, first I'll need you to take off your shirt please."

Zell blinked but complied then flinched as she pressed a very cold stethoscope to his chest. "Cold." He said quietly.

She looked down at him and smiled wryly. "I'm sorry to say that I can't do much about that. The rest of the test aren't so bad so bare with me okay?"

The blond nodded simply and looked around the room. Scales and some machines he'd never seen in his life and one he hoped he never see again. She removed the cold instrument from his chest. "Good, you're heart rate's normal, now if you would please step up onto the scale over there?"

He complied silently and shivered at the considerable lack of warmth in the room.

"Just a moment and you can put your shirt back on." She said absently as she eyed the scale and waited for it to settle on a number. "Hmmm, you know if you're seriously going to take the class it wouldn't hurt if you added a bit more muscle to your skin and bones look."

Zell blushed slightly and nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay, you can put your shirt back on." She said calmly then quickly moved him about the room doing this and that before she finally sighed. "That's the last one, you'll get your results in class tomorrow and from there you can take the last test."

He nodded then waved and left the Infirmary, he looked down at the watch Lai had lent him as he walked. Five minutes till the end of classes for the day, he noted absently then made his way to the front gate. He'd promised his mother that he'd visit today and he'd forgotten about it entirely.

He was screwed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

{Four hours later}

Seifer grinned as the lights in his room flickered then went out followed by a loud road of thunder. Hyne did he love Balamb's storm season.

He waited for five minutes to make sure the lights were out for the storm then his grin broadened and shot off his bed and headed for his closet. He threw open the doors and waited a moment for his eyes to fully adjust for the darkness inside then began to sort through his clothes. He grabbed an outfit at random then quickly stripped and pulled it on before running a hand through his hair to push it out of his face then headed for his door.

No matter how many times he had experienced the blackouts he always loved and thanked the back up generator that kept the doors, elevators and more importantly the electric fences in the training center, operational even if the main power was out. Red light misted the hallway outside his room as the backup lights flickered on. It was rather clever in his opinion, they had built the back up lights into the floor next to the walls so it was like a miniature runway when the power went out, just enough light to get by but not enough to see everything you usually would with the power on. There was lots of 'accidental' bumping into people that went on when the 'Darklights' went on as if the seductive red glow summoned a persons inner being, the lust and need to move that was kept hidden during 'normal time'.

Halfway down the hall he spotted Fujin and Raijin making their way towards him and called out to them as he made his way toward them.

"Yo, Seifer, you heading down to the Quad?" Raijin asked when they were finally walking side by side.

Seifer grinned at his friend. "Where else?"

"Think you'll get lucky?"

The blond smirked and regarded his tall friend with a raised eyebrow. "Don't I always."

"PARTY."

"That's right, no holding back."

Music blared and bodies mingled and writhed together to its rhythm , pressing up against each other then moving away then touching again, mindless and ignoring everything but the music and their own need to move.

Thunder shook the ground but they danced on, others brushed against them but they danced on. SeeD's students and a few instructors all messed in together for the same reason.

To move.

Here there was no fear, no expectation and no empty promises.

There was no need for words, no need to know the name of the person you danced with, all that mattered was that you could. That you could dance, move, grind. All that mattered was the music and the freedom that only these impromptu parties gave them.

Freedom was one things they cherished without thought, freedom of movement, freedom of expression, freedom to be who you really were without fear of being judged. There lay the principals behind the party.

At first it was just something that was thrown together to pass the time, now the students and SeeDs alike sacrificed their own money to ensure that the equipment in the Quad was fully charged and had spare batteries just in case. It was a lucky thing that the music equipment, the CD player and amplifiers all had back up battery power, something all the students of garden loved even if they wouldn't join the Garden Festival Committee.

No one familiar, no new faces worth exploring so instead Seifer settled for an old favorite.

The lights were still out and the thunder still shook the garden, but that only served to intensify the experience. Seifer gazed down at his pale haired friend then bent his head to kiss her neck. Fujin smiled softly and tilted her head to give him better access and ran her hands over his strong shoulders and down his back.

One hand slid down to between her thighs and he began to pet and massage what he found there, eliciting a few gasps from her at the contact. He moved his mouth down from her neck to her collar bone and sucked on it for a moment then moved further down and took one hard nipple into his mouth and sucked on it.

She gasped again and her hands fisted against his shoulders. With a mischievous grin he released it then blew on it, bathing in the moan that escaped past her lips.

"Nah..."

She shuddered as he repeated the gesture on her other nipple then clenched her jaw.

"DO IT."

Seifer gazed up at her for a moment then grinned and used his hand to spread her legs then positioned himself at her entrance, one last look into her lust filled eyes then with a thrust of his hips he was surrounded by beautiful warmth.

Fujin gazed at him from beneath her dark lashes and smiled softly as he pulled out to thrust again this time he hit the spot causing her to push her head back into the pillow and bite her bottom lip in attempt to keep from moaning out loud. He began to set a pace thrusting in and out trying to hit that certain spot each time.

Somewhere along the line he fell in routine, doing what he knew she liked, touching the spots he knew effected her the most, it was simple.

In his mind though he recalled the dream he had every night.

The tall dark haired woman who visited his dreams, who called to him, whispered sweet things to him.

Somewhere along the line he orgasmed while still deep inside, he felt her tighten around him, heard the sudden intake of breath before she orgasmed, saw her mouth open in a silent scream before she relaxed and lay back to bathe in the afterglow.

He felt her hands tracing lazy patterns on his arms and shoulders as she stared off into the distance.

He moved off her and rolled off he bed before searching for his clothes then the decision was made.

He would spend the next few years here, training, becoming stronger then one day when he was worthy he would find the dark lady from his dreams and would stand by her side.

He would have someone who would deserve his respect and worship.

The time had come for him to shed his childish behavior, the weak exterior.

The time had come.

He was ready.

Lai smiled as he felt Leo place a hand on his shoulder then lean in close, stopping when his mouth was next to his ear. He could here the music from his dorm room and the fact that Leo was there during a storm confirmed his guess, the power was out and for the students of Garden that meant a Darklight party.

"You okay?" The ebon haired teen asked quietly.

He nodded then brushed a stray strand away from his face. "I'm okay, are you going to the party?"

"Yeah, wanna come?"

"I don't really feel like it this time." He said calmly then turned when he heard Leo open his closet. "What are you doing?"

Leo rummaged around for a moment then found what he was looking for, a A4 sized sketchbook. "Well I heard that Squall wasn't going either..."

"You didn't go nag at him did you?"

"Hey I don't nag...anyway since you're both not going it was decided that keeping you together was better than leaving you alone in the storm, so you're going to pay him a visit until I come and pick you up later." The taller teen informed him in a matter of fact tone while he gathered this and that from about the room and stuffed it into Lai's bag. "That should be enough to keep you busy."

The white haired teen frowned slightly as Leo took hold of his elbow to help him stand. "I'm not a child Leo, I can walk on my own, plus who decided on this, don't tell me you just decided on your own to lump him with me until you think it's convenient for you."

"Stop being such a drama queen LaiLai." Leo said as they passed through the doorway into the dimly lit hall.

"I'm not a drama queen and stop calling me that." He reprimanded his childhood friend and shook his arm loose.

"Fine, fine. Can you manage on your lonesome or do you want me to walk you there?"

Lai scoffed at that. "How, you don't even know the way. I'll be fine on my own Leo, you should know that by now."

Leo shrugged then danced away from him slightly and bowed formally. "Then I will leave you to your own and Squall's most probably capable hands princess."

"Leo?"

"Hmmm?"

"Get lost." He ordered firmly then listened to his friends joyful laughter as he moved away then his voice disappeared and he turned and started walking in the direction he remembered Squall's room to be.

The advantage of living in the last room on the corridor was that he always knew which way he had to turn and after Squall help escort him 'home' the last time they had been together he knew the way to and from his room.

His listened intently to the area around him steering himself this way or that when someone else's footsteps got too close. It took him five minutes to cross the corridor and he was finally moving up to where Squall's door should be when a voice stopped him.

"Lai."

He beamed at the owner of the voice, he hadn't been expecting the brunette to be waiting for him but it was a pleasant surprise. "Squall, it's nice to hear your voice."

Squall nodded then took the bag Lai was carrying and gave him a gentle nudge towards the open door to his room. "Your friend, Leo, said you don't like storms."

"Not really, there's too much noise...no it's more that the noise is too sudden and since I can't see the lightning I can't prepare myself for the sound...does that make sense?" He asked as he sank down onto Squall's bed.

"No."

Lai smiled warmly then frowned. "Ummm, Squall, could I have my bag please, Leo packed it for me so I don't really know what's in there." He requested politely before a sudden loud clash of thunder made him yelp in shock.

Squall moved over to stand next to the wide eyed teen then frowned as the back up lights flickered and went out. "Damn."

"Squall?"

"It's nothing, the back up generator just died." He said quietly. "Though I suppose that isn't a problem for you."

Lai shook his head then jumped at another particularly loud clash. "I'm used to it."

Squall simply nodded then sat the black bag on the bed and opened it then waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark. Inside there were two notebooks, what looked like a sketchpad and a container holding various different pens pencils and other an artist might use. It puzzled him, Leo definitely knew Lai was blind, he'd said so earlier when he had talked to him, so why had he packed them. Surely he hadn't meant for him to use them, so why?

"There's a sketchpad, some notebooks and some other art stuff." He said quietly then put a hand on the other teens shoulder when he saw a flash of light outside his window, seconds later there was another crash but this time Lai didn't just but Squall could feel the sudden tensing of his muscles underneath his baggy black shirt.

"Thank you, can I please have the sketchbook and container?" He asked politely.

Squall took them out and handed them to the other boys waiting hand then noticed something that had been hidden beneath the book and container. He reached into the bag again with one hand and blinked when he felt his hand brush up against it. It was fabric, cotton and there was something like silk or satin next to it.

/Clothes/

"Squall? Is something wrong?"

He blinked again then moved to sit on the stool next to his bed. "Leo packed some clothes."

He watched as Lai's face contorted into a frown and marveled at how easy his coloring made it for him to see the other teen in the dark. The expression eased and he heard Lai sigh. "I can hear the music from here." He sighed again. "I'm sorry for bothering you."

/He's apologizing?/

"You're not."

Lai smiled at him then flipped the sketchbook open. "Would you mind if drew a picture of you?"

"You can still..."

The other teen laughed softly then yelped at the next crash of thunder that shook the window. "...y-yeah, I started drawing when I was really little so it's not so bad, but the stuff I draw is pretty limited."

Squall frowned. "Then how are you going to draw me?"

He watched as Lai set the book aside then move off the bed to stand in front of him. Puzzled Squall raised his head to see what the other boy would do but was surprised when Lai gently began to touch his face. They were feather light touches that seemed to simply glance across his skin and unable and unwilling to fight it he let himself relax and his eyes fluttered close. Lai's hands stayed on his face, searching for a few minutes more before moving up to run through his hair then back down again to lightly touch his neck, shoulders and the top of his chest.

Finally the gentle searching fingers left him and he heard Lai settle back onto his bed again and pick up his book and he had to fight the sudden urge to sigh at the loss of contact.

He opened his eyes again and watched as Lai withdrew a pencil from his container the touched it to paper and started drawing. "How...how long has it been?" He asked haltingly.

"I've been blind for ten years, so ever since I was five. I've had a while to adapt to it so, now most people don't even realize I can't see until I tell them. I had to go through a few tests before they decided it would be okay for me to study here, with all the steps and stuff." Lai explained quietly without looking up from the sketchbook even though they both knew he couldn't see what was on it.

Squall nodded absently then tilted his head as he watched the other teen draw. "How long have you been here then?"

"I was...ten when I first came here, they gave me specialized classes to help me get used to the building and to help me figure out which way was which. It was a little weird at first because Leo came with me and since he's usually so protective of me he wouldn't let anyone else come anywhere near me. We're in the same classes most because they think of him more as my aid then a student...I don't think he minds either because he gets away with a lot of stuff because they think I still need someone to look after me."

"Do you?"

Lai stopped drawing for a moment and smiled sadly. "Sometimes, like if I leave Garden to go into Balamb or if there's a storm like now."

"What about the training center?" The brunette inquired softly then reached out to touch the hand that was holding the sketchbook when he caught sight of a flash of lightning from outside.

Lai tensed at the sound of the thunder then shook his head and continued drawing. "When I was being taught how to move around Garden they helped to work on my senses to make up for the loss and to use it to my advantage. Then they taught me how to fight so I could defend myself in a 'worst case scenario'. They made me train until I could hold my own against a SeeD, so I guess I'd be fine, plus I've gone in there a couple times before, even if they were with someone else it shouldn't be too bad."

"Hn."

They spent the rest of the night like that, sitting and talking about this or that as Lai continued to draw picture after picture before finally his eyelids started to sag and his head started to slowly sink forward as he fought to stay awake only to be jolted by another crash of thunder. Eventually the thunder grew further between on crash and another but refused to die down completely.

In the end for reasons he couldn't explain Squall moved up onto his bed the lay down next to the wall on his back before calling Lai softly to lie down with him, he marveled in the comfortable warmth that his closeness brought. It didn't take the white haired boy long to fall asleep, pressed up against him and it wasn't much longer after that that Squall finally succumbed to his own exhaustion.

On the horizon, beyond the dark, rumbling clouds, the sun began to rise.


	5. Black Blue White Red

Chapter 5

"Congratulations on making it this far!"

One hundred students stood lined up in perfect order just outside the garden.

One hundred students had succeeded in passing the first two tests. One hundred out of over three hundred students that had tried out to take the one class that would see you had a chance at become a SeeD, one of Gardens own military members. One hundred students had proven mentally and physically healthy enough to continue to the third stage, the one last test before training began.

Before everything changed.

But for those who were serious, who would see it through, they knew things had already changed and the training had already begun.

"We don't expect all of you to pass this next test, but we do hope that you will do your best to be the best you can be, for Garden and for yourselves!" Instructor Harden shouted, gazing about, looking from face to face.

Instructor Trevor Harden was the senior Instructor in charge of overseeing the last test along with Instructor Quistis Trepe, Instructor Markus Berns, Instructor Harry Sollus and Instructor Anne Grism. Five instructors and fifty SeeDs were on hand to work through the student ranks and pick out the ones who would go further, to take the course, to become SeeDs themselves if they wanted to.

"From here you will be put into teams and have one SeeD put in charge of moving you through the paces of this test, just remember you can drop out at any time, no one is forcing you to continue." Instructor Harden said, then raised the clipboard. "You'll be split into groups of twenty, each group will have one instructor and ten SeeDs. Now when each of the instructors, including myself will read out a list of names, when you hear your name, move and stand behind the instructor that called you."

A few of the students nodded their understanding while others remained in tense silence.

Instructor Grism took a step forward. "Those in black group are: Isabel Raynes, Lockey Whytte, Lai Cresent, Nida Ling, Sara Blaten..." She called out each of their names clearly then waited for them to join her before taking a step back again.

Instructor Berns stepped forward then and began to read out the names that belonged to his, 'Blue' group. "...Zell Dincht, Harriette Longly and Leo Lee." He said then waited for them to finish moving over to him before stepping back once more.

It went on for nearly half an hour, just sorting the teams and picking out the SeeDs before everyone was settled. Lai in Black group, Leo and Zell in Blue group, Squall in White group, Seifer in Red Group. Out of everyone there none of them recognized any of the students in Grey group so the group was quickly forgotten, instead they turned to each of the other groups to inspect them and to see who was where.

"All right, you all have your assigned groups, now move out!"

"Alright Black group, we're going to start off with laps, you're going to be split up into twos and each group of twos will have one SeeD watching over them, if for any reason you feel you cannot continue don't hesitate to let me know and you'll be taken care of." Instructor Grism informed them firmly then took a few steps back. "Alright, I want to see how long you can run for before dropping so, let's get moving I want you running laps around Garden until you can't go anymore."

Without further prompting they broke off into twos and started running, their SeeD running along next to them.

"Get at it boys and girls, the sooner we get this done the sooner we can move onto something else." Instructor Berns said cheerfully and watched his designated students.

Later they were all sitting on chairs, their arms and legs outstretched before them. Their task was simple, last for as long as they could without bending their limbs and succumbing to gravity without an aid.

Berns turned to one of the SeeDs standing closets to him. "So, what do you think?"

"That one up back, the blond with the baby face and the other over to the left with the black hair in the tank, they'll probably go through this easily, there are a few others as well like the red head over there." She said pointing out to each student as she spoke.

"I see 'em."

Three students out of his twenty were a definite shoo-in to get past the first round, three of twenty would move on to the next stage of the test and then hopefully win through each of the following rounds then come out at the end, to pass the test and make one of the biggest steps that would help define their future, whether or not they decided to become SeeDs after the class was over in two years time.


	6. Of Friends and Hardships Part 1

Chapter 6

Leo poked the other teens cheek, his usual grin set in place. "So how did things go?"

"I finished everything they told me to fairly easily and the SeeD assigned to me seems to think I will get through the rest of the test without many problems." Lai commented evenly and without moving his unseeing gaze from the sketchpad in his lap.

"I don't care about that, how did things go with Squall?" Leo pressed impatiently, leaning forward in his seat.

"What do you mean?"

"GAH! What happened?!"

Lai chuckled softly then moved slightly and patted Leo's cheek. "Relax, nothing happened...here, tell me what you think of this."

He held up his sketchpad and pointed to a page with his free hand. It was a picture of Squall, his eyes were closed and his face was relaxed as if he were asleep. His lips were parted slightly in a soundless sigh and his here was splayed about him on a pillow and one of his arms lay above his head, his fingers curled inwards but still relaxed from sleep. The image was cut off halfway down his chest from lack of paper but what he had drawn was in perfect detail to the last strand of hair.

"WHAT?! How can you tell me _nothing_ happened then you show me a drawing like _this_?!" Leo half screamed.

"Shush, you're making too much noise and nothing happened it's just something I thought up." Lai said softly, taking the sketchpad back and flipping back a page, on it was another drawing of Squall, this time he was scowling.

"You like drawing him?" The raven haired boy asked quietly, watching his face for a reaction.

"He's an interesting person."

"Ah huh, so what type of person is he then?"

Lai leaned back with a sigh and continued to flick through his sketchbook tracing the lines on each page with a feather light touch as he went. "Squall is...he's different, he's not like most of the students here. Unlike everyone else he loudest when he isn't saying anything at all, he thinks a lot and I think he only does speak when he finds something that he thinks is worth saying. I don't think there's another person like him in the whole of Garden, maybe even in the world and he smells like cherries."

"And he smells like cherries." Leo repeated, one eyebrow raised. "Right then, you need to go back and stalk him again or something 'cos you've got it bad."

"Leo be serious...and I'm not stalking him, if I remember correctly then only reason I've spent so much time around him recently is because you've taken it on yourself to dub him my babysitter whenever you want to go somewhere." Lai pointed out. "Anyway it doesn't matter."

Leo sighed dejectedly. "I guess you're right, but it's not like you don't enjoy spending time with him, it's been a while since I saw you smile this much."

The small smile that had made it's way across Lai's face while he was talking twitched a little then grew. "If you say so." He muttered pleasantly, not bothering to wipe the tender smile from his face.

"Well, now that we've sorted that out..." The taller teen started, his grin back in place. "I've got a class now, what about you?"

Lai shook his head. "I've got a self study now, I thought I'd just wonder around for a bit."

Leo's grin transformed into a more impish smile and rocked forward on the bench before standing and moving to stand in front of the other teen. "You know, I heard Squally-boy's got a self study now too."

"And you accused me of stalking him."

The taller boy moved forward a bit and wrapped his arms around Lai's shoulders and drew him closer, into an embrace and simply stood there holding him for a moment. "Whatever it takes to see you smile." He said softly, his voice gentle but clear.

Lai relaxed a little and wound his arms around the others hips and returned the embrace before he felt him release his grip a bit and bend down. Leo's lips brushed his forehead before he stepped back just at arms length then turned. "I'll see you later, alright, I'll come visit you."

He nodded and heard his friends footsteps gradually fade as he left for his class and sighed. He and Leo had been friends since they were little kids, they'd been introduced when they were four and had been fairly close, it wasn't until after the accident though that they really became close. Leo refused to leave his side, insisted on being with him at all times and it wasn't until Lai had fully adapted to his sudden lack of sight that he had begun to ease up and let him wander from time to time.

With a sigh he got to his feet and started to make his way to the Quad, halfway there though, things were terribly wrong.

"Hey, you got the time?"

Lai blinked and turned toward the voice. "Ah, no sorry, I don't have a watch." He said quietly and lifted his wrist to emphasize the point.

Suddenly a hand grabbed his wrist in a tight grip and made an attempt to bring it back around and up behind his back. He gasped at the sudden contact and with a quick twist he was out of the hold and lashed out with just enough force to dislodge the hand. Taking a few steps back he focused his senses on his surroundings instead of just his destination. He heard several different footsteps coming towards him and a couple more moving in from behind him. Fear pricked at his heart for a moment before he forced himself to be calm and waited for them to make a move.

One after another they launched at him, the rustling of their clothes and the slight hitch in their breaths being the only things that gave away their location. One after another they moved in and one after another Lai fought off. It wasn't long before they finally had enough and swarmed him all at once, hitting wherever they could. A sudden punch to his stomach sent the air whooshing out of him and he doubled over, seconds later a solid kick hit him in the shins, taking his feet out from under him and he collapsed to the floor with a sound thud and for a panicked moment he found himself unable to breath.  
  
Finally air rushed back into his lungs and he gasped it in greedily before a rolled up piece of fabric was shoved into his mouth to keep him silent. Hand came out of nowhere to hold his arms and legs and a knee was planted firmly into the small of his back to keep him still. He squeezed his eyes shut as he began to panic again and wildly tried to thrash his body to dislodge them, earning him naught but a sharp pain in his back.

He felt hands move underneath him and undo his pants and tried to scream but his voice was too muffled by the gag in his mouth to be heard. His pants and underwear were roughly tugged down about his knees. A hand trailed over his exposed rear making him shiver in response to the feather light touch before the knee was removed from the small of his back and his hips were roughly jerked upwards.

Without warning or preparation he felt himself split open as one of his attackers ruthlessly thrust into him. He screamed in pain but to no avail, the gag in his mouth kept most of his scream muffled. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and knew that one of them had cast silence on him when he could no longer even whimper.

Thrust after thrust, he could feel himself being torn open further, he could feel the clothes around his knees getting soggy from the blood that was running down his legs, he felt his soundless voice break and shatter as he continued to scream in pain, he felt the tears of pain and humiliation trickle from his unseeing eyes, he felt someone kneel beside him and stroke his cheek.

"You belong to us."


	7. Of Friends and Hardships Part 2

Chapter 7

Zell trudged down the hall, it had been a long day, the second part of the final test had been earlier. "Just my luck I do nothing but run around in circles." He muttered as he walked.

He had spent the better part of the morning in that one class, doing the same things over and over again before going back to do the first thing over. On top of that the small computer terminal in his dorm room was on the fritz again, which meant he couldn't send his weekly letter to his mother in Balamb until someone came out and fixed it. The bad thing about the classroom computers was just that, they were class computers, meaning they had no connection to the outside world, probably so they could make sure the students were doing the work they were supposed to and not looking at porn or something like that.

Zell shook his head with a sigh of resignation and mentally ticked off the things that had gone wrong so far.

My computer's wigging out again.

_I'm having trouble in my Science III class._

_I missed hotdogs again._

_I lost a shoe somewhere._

_Some dog tore a chunk out of my favourite shorts the other day._

_A bird crapped on one of my books._

_I found dirt in my room..._

He frowned for the up tenth time that day, it was Mother Earths own dirt and for the life of him he couldn't figure out how it had gotten into his room, not to mention the fact that it was in his closet with all his clothes.

Alright that one's just weird..

_Oh yeah, I almost forgot Lai's watch in the showers after I promised to look after it._

_I nearly fell down the stairs to the elevators._

_I caught some kid trying to put a dead rat in my room._

_And...let's see, oh yeah, Seifer officially hates my guts for some reason._

He sighed again and hung his head as he rounded a corner, things just didn't go well for him when he needed them to. Some times life really sucked, but it was like his grandfather always said before he died, "_It's better to have a shitty life then to not live in freedom."_

He smiled slightly at the memory the frowned as a strange noise broke his train of thought. He looked around but found that the halls around him were empty.

_Ahhh_

Again, his frown deepened and he strained his ears to try and hear it. It came again and he blinked, it sounded like someone was hitting an empty box, it had a kind of hollow sound to it that he couldn't describe any other way.

He looked around again, seeing no one but this time taking in the janitors closet across the hall from where he was. Moving closer to it he pressed his ear to the door and sure enough the sound got louder. He moved away from the door slightly and tried the doorknob, finding it locked he assumed that someone had gotten themselves locked in. He knocked on the door and when he got no response he decided to call out instead.

Still no answer other than the continuous sounds he had heard to begin with.

Taking another step back away from the door he turned his gaze up and down the hallway, no students, no faculty, no SeeDs, no Instructors. The hall was empty, completely devoid of life which in itself was a little strange considering the fact that it was usually one of the busiest halls in the dorms, right on the first floor and fairly close to the entrance/exit.

His instincts never let him down before, telling him to do this or that, to go a certain direction, this time though, they were telling him to get inside, that something wasn't right.

He pondered for a moment longer before coming to a conclusion.

He'd break the door down.

Scratching his head ruefully he tried to figure out just how he'd do it.

Meanwhile

Squalls POV

I opened my door to find Leo staring right at me.

It felt strange because he wasn't grinning like an idiot like he usually does and he keeps moving from one foot to the other and he's frowning. He looks anxious.

"Have you seen Lai, is he with you?" He blurts out, he isn't moving closer but I can tell that he wants in.

"No."

Leo's frown deepens and his face scrunches up with a kind of lost look that I can't remember ever seeing before. "Are you sure, maybe you just forgot, 'cos it happens sometimes, when you're busy and you're not thinking properly."

I scowl at him, I can't help it, he's not making any sense. "Shut up." He quietens a bit but that lost, anxious look's still there. "What's going on?" I ask him, I keep my voice even so there's no chance he'll miss the point.

His face scrunches up a little more and tears start to fill his eyes. "I can't find Lai. He had a free study earlier and we agreed to meet up after my class but I can't find him. I've looked everywhere, his room, my room , the Quad, the Library, the Infirmary, the Cafeteria, the Training centre, the classrooms, everywhere, I can't find him!"

He looks desperate, almost like he's going to break down completely any minute now. I frown, it's weird for someone who's blind to just disappear, especially Lai and I can't help but get a kind of sinking feeling in my stomach, as if something bad has happened. It feels weird, I don't know why it bothers me, maybe it's because he's a friend, or something like that.

I shake my head to clear it then grab my jacket from my closet and slip it on then push him out of the doorway so I can get through. "Come on."

I lock my door and make my way down the hall, I can hear his footsteps behind me so I know he's following me. I can't shake this weird feeling I have, it's like I already know something's wrong but we haven't even found him yet.

We round a corner and I spot someone in the hall ahead of us, kicking a door, as we get closer we recognise the guy, it's Zell, though why he's kicking it....

Zell looked up as he heard people approaching then sighed when he saw that it was only Squall and Leo, no one that would dob him in for damaging Garden property then an idea hit him. "Hey, guys give me a hand with this, it think someone's locked inside." He said then went back to kicking the door.

They eyed him for a moment then looked at each other coming to the same conclusion and moved to add their strength to the attack, timing their kicks with Zell's it only took a few kicks with their combined strength.

The heavy door fell of its hinges and fell to the floor with a solid boom raising a soft cloud of dust from under the shelves as it did so. Wasting no time Leo shot into the room only to come to an abrupt halt and cry out at the sight before him. There at the opposite end of the room lay Lai, broken and bleeding, tied up and gagged with tears of pain and humiliation streaming from his closed eyes a look of complete resignation on his delicate features, his face clearly the only place he was not beaten.

Leo quickly crossed the distance between them and gently touched Lai's face. "Lai...Lai, please open your eyes, please." He pleaded, his eyes quickly growing moist.

Zell and Squall stared from the doorway unsure as to what they should do, there was their friend beaten and bleeding who had been locked in a janitors closet and left alone to suffer, what was worse was that because Lai was blind he most likely had no idea where he was or who the people who attacked him were, but that was one thing they were certain about, there was more than one person responsible for this, after all the stories they had heard from both Leo and Lai about the training Lai had to undergo to make sure he could survive in Garden and protect himself there was no way in their minds that Lai could have lost a fight to one person and be beaten this badly.

Squall blinked, coming back to himself and gave Zell a hard shove back out the door. "Go get Dr Kadowaki and let her know what happened." He said then looked away from the two teens on the floor. "Tell her we'll bring him to her."

Whatever Zell was going to say about being pushed was cut off as Squall gave him an order and he simply nodded and darted down the hall as fast as his feet would take him.

Squall slowly turned his gaze away from Zell's retreating figure and moved into the room to kneel down next to the teen noting something he couldn't see from the door, he was naked, the clothes he thought were the teens were actually a janitors uniform thrown over his body and as he got closer he could slowly make out the full extent of his injuries.

Bruises and welts from Hyne knew what covered almost every inch of his once pale perfect skin and one thigh was moved over giving Squall a slight glance at the other teens rear, but it was enough. He could see blood and other liquids pooling around the teens hips, flowing slowly from his ass. His stomach heaved and for a moment he thought he would throw up when he caught sight of the teens penis, it had not been ignored in the beating, it lay there bruised and bleeding much like the rest of him.

"Hyne..." He swore quietly then quickly moved to block off the view so Leo wouldn't see the damage. "Here, I'll carry him." He said lightly then very gently he moved to slide one arm under the teens shoulders and moved the other under his knees then lifted his. "Make sure he's covered, I doubt he'd want the whole of Garden to see him like this." He instructed softly.

Leo nodded bleary eyed and sniffled gently pulling the uniform a little more over in one direction then nodded to the brunette and stepped back just enough to give the teen room to move.

With a shuddered breath Squall slowly turned, careful not to bump Lai against anything then made his way out of the room and down the hall, Leo following close behind.

LAILAI!!!!!

sobs Why?? Why?? sniffle sniffle

Please review and let LaiLai know someone loves him....sobs and wails


	8. Infirmary

Chapter 8

Dr. Kadowaki moved into the waiting room of the Infirmary and drew a long shaky breath. Never in all her years as a medic in Garden had she seen such an atrocious mishandling of the human body. It made her sick to her stomach to see a student, anyone that badly beaten and abused. It had taken her and her staff nearly eight hours of continuous work to patch up the cuts and abrasions the boy had suffered and that had not included the extensive work they had to do on the boys anus and penis which had both been damaged almost beyond repair.

Kadowaki rubbed the back of her neck, her muscles were so tense and sore after the long surgery and exhausting their supply of Cures and Curas on the one patient.

She caught sight of the three teens on chairs, Zell and Leo had fallen asleep during the long wait but Squall still sat strong and alert waiting for news. Seeing her moved towards them he stood, several loud popping sounds breaking the silence as he stretched. "So?"

She sighed and moved to sit on her chair and for a moment she merely sat there, breathing deeply, almost as if she had fallen asleep. She raised her head and gazed up at him evenly for a moment then rubbed at her eyes and sighed again. "He'll be alright. We couldn't completely heal all of his injuries so he'll need some time to recuperate, I'm going to recommend that he stays with someone until he's completely healed just in case." She said quietly. "I wanted to ask you if you'd be willing to watch over him since Leo would probably go into hysterics as soon as he sneezes, but under the circumstances I'm not sure if rooming him with you would be a good idea, so I'm going to have him bunked with Zell until he's well again, since Zell has that kind of charm that helps people to relax when he's around and Lai knows he can trust him…"

Squall nodded solemnly. "Can I see him?"

Dr. Kadowaki nodded. "His room is number six, it's the third on the right side." She said quietly then almost laughed when she was about to tell him to keep the noise to a minimum. _What noise? He hardly talks at all._ She thought dryly then turned to her desk and picked up her phone, she was supposed to report in about the situation almost an hour ago.

Squall's POV

I made my way down the corridor, I can't help but screw my face up at the strong bleached smell in the hall. Couldn't they find a less offensive way to clean the floors?

I paused outside the door for a moment, what do I say to him? What can I say? Hey how are you? Listen I heard about the brutal rape, bad luck old chap?

I swear softly then shake my head, whatever happens…happens, right?

I put my hand on the door handle and shiver at the coldness of the metal. Pushing down on the handle I slowly open the door so it won't creak then I move inside before closing it behind me. The bleached smell isn't as strong in here, but I suppose it can't be if there are recovering patients in the rooms.

I slowly make my way over to the bed, he doesn't look like he's awake…but then again he just got out of surgery, the sleep spell wouldn't have worn off yet. Moving over to the side of the bed I grab the small stool and sit, just watching his sleeping face. His face, it's completely normal, I can just imagine the assholes that did it, keeping the face intact so they'd have something worth screwing.

I clench my jaw at that, Hyne is the human race screwed up.

Lai stirs a bit and I hold my breath, I don't know why, I just do. It's strange because the sleep spell should last for another hour at least unless they used an esuna but I doubt it.

As he settles down again my breath left me in a sigh and I relaxed again, shaking my head at my own actions, my own uncharacteristic nervousness and I couldn't help but remember the way I had been feeling over the past few days, so many emotions that I hadn't felt since I was a kid.

I sat there for nearly ten minute, not moving, blinking…I wonder if I even breathed. I shake my head at the thought then slowly stood, moving muscles that had started to fall asleep, riddling my body with pins and needles and I gaze down at Lai for a long moment, trying to figure out why I suddenly feel sad when I was only leaving to return to my own room.

I smirked mentally at that, berating myself for being an idiot, everything was fine, Zell, the blond guy would take care of Lai and he'd been strong again and up on his feet to resume his classes and the headmaster will have found the guys that did it and handed them over to the Balamb police for sentencing for the crime.

As I set the chair back where I got it from I gazed at him one last time, silently pleading with him to be strong and to get better since even though I hadn't really said anything, I had been hoping to spar with him, to test myself but now….the thought seemed so selfish….

Zell's POV

I just miss crashing into Squall, the quiet guy with the Gunblade when I went to go into the room, jumping out of his way I watched him walk off in confusion before moving into Lai's room, scratching my head.

"Guess they were friends…or something." I mutter as I move over to the bed, gazing down at the pale guy on the bed, Lai. "Still sleeping? Well I guess it's up to me to take care of you so just leave it to me, I'll have you back on your feet and kicking ass in no time." I announce confidently then sigh, it's not like he can actually hear me.

A soft groan from the bed caused my to blink in confusion and I looked down again in time to see those golden eyes flicker open and slowly Lai's face turned towards me. "Who...are you?" He asked softly, I couldn't help but notice that his usually soft voice is a bit raspy, probably screamed a lot.

"Zell." I announce and took a step forward noticing the soft sigh that came from him. "How did you know I was here?" I asked, moving over to stand next to him.

"I could hear you…breathing." He whispered, his eyes closing for a moment as he rubbed at them. "How long have I been sleeping?

"Don't know really…probably over an hour." I say softly, looking around for a clock. "Was I really breathing that hard?"

He laughed softly, a small smile on his lips and I couldn't help but grin in return, at least he could still smile. "No, not at all, it's just something I'm used to listening to, so I don't bump into people…I'm still not very good with large crowds though, sometimes its hard to pick out where people are standing."

"Must be hard." I mutter, reaching up to run a hand through my hair, nearly jumping out of my skin when the door opens behind me and Kadowaki marches in.

"Not really, I'm used to it by now and, Leo's always there to help me if I need it." He said softly, his golden but blind eyes moved to follow the doctor as she moved over to the other side of the bed to check him over and I can't help but shudder at how strange it was, knowing he couldn't see but seeing him follow her, probably listening to her breathing like with me.

Kadowaki examined him for a moment then nodded, a slight smile on her lips though when she learned to smile I never know, I've never seen her smile in time I've been at Garden and seen her….ever. "It looks like you're doing fine Mr. Cresent, you might walk with a bit of a limp and it will take a little while for you to get your balance and full strength back but you're doing fine." She said softly and I grinned at the good news. "The headmaster has given permission for you to be bunked with Zell for the next few days or weeks until you feel ready to go back to your own room and of course, when I think you've recovered enough."

Lai nodded then turned back to me and smiled. "I guess that means your stuck with me for a while, sorry to intrude."

Runs around giggling like a maniac I can write again! Yay! Zell and Lai are sharing a dorm room! Yay! I'm an idiot! Ya….hang on..scowls at self

Yes indeed, it's the long awaited Chapter 8!

Sorry it took so long for the update but you seriously would not believe the kind of comp stress I've been having, I only just got my comp back last night and I spent the entire night writing and trying to remember what idea I was using when I had left off writing to get this chapter out, hopefully it's not a disappointment and hopefully the software I've got now will stop any more viruses from getting into my comp

Long live bishies and yaoi! Let the story continue!


	9. Tick Tock

Chapter 9: Tick, Tock.

Over a week had past since the incident that had rocked those in Garden with the clearance to know that something had happened at all to disturb the usual peace. The instructors had been alerted and the few SeeD groups that were responsible for overseeing the Garden's security were notified, their watch shifts increased and regiments altered to ensure they would prowl through all open areas of the academy, leaving only individual living quarters, shower rooms and the headmasters office free from their watchful eyes. A curfew had also been established and to keep the possibility of a panic down amongst the students, the true reason for it was held back and instead it was put forward that it was punishment for some graffiti that one or more of the students had left behind after the most recent of Black Light parties, which in itself wasn't completely a lie since graffiti had been left behind and the disciplinary committee had been hunting down the parties responsible to administer punishment.

At the request of both the headmaster and Doctor Kadowaki Lai remained as Zell's room mate even after his injuries had completely healed over thanks to the potions Lai had been ordered to take twice each day, as added insurance that if someone came after Lai again there would be someone there to aid him or at least witness the attackers so they could be apprehended.

"Zell, would you mind if I drew a picture of you?" Lai asked softly one night when even the training centre had been closed to students for maintenance and 'restocking'.

Blinking the blond looked up from the magazine he had been reading to gaze across the room at the other teen. "Wha? Oh, yeah, I suppose if you want." He replied absently, shifting to sit up a bit as the other moved over to him and reached out to him. Feeling the others fingertips trace along his face, through his hair and down along his throat, Zell let out a small relaxed sigh.

Lai had explained this part of the process to him before, once Zell had gotten around to asking about Lai's art, having noted pictures of Squall that had seemed fairly recent amongst some of the drawings Lai had showed him one night when they had gotten to talking about their hobbies and such as a way to get accustomed to being around each other so much, and also to deepen the bond of friendship that had started to grow.

Once Lai had seated himself once more Zell picked up his magazine once more, only to put it down again as the door chime for his door went off. Grumbling softly he shifted and shuffled over to his door and unlocked it before opening it, only to gasp and stumble back as Leo bounded through the doorway, wrapping his arms around his neck and pulling him close. "Pretend Squall isn't here." He whispered in the blonds ear before letting go. "LAI LAI!!" He cried as he pushed past Zell to bounce his way over to Lai.

Blinking Zell gazed from the two friends as they embraced each other and said their hellos to Squall where the taller brunette who merely shrugged and moved into the room and simply leaned against one wall and watched the exchange, trying to figure out just how he had ended up getting dragged along…again.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were meant to be studying." Lai said softly as he idly played with his childhood friends shirt sleeve, his expression thoughtful.

"Well, if you wanted me to go…"

"No…you know I like your company…even when you decide to show up on a whim." The pale teen murmured with a small smile, reaching up to lightly trace his fingertips down his best friends nose, causing him to wrinkle it and laugh softly.

Glancing down Leo caught sight of Lai's open sketchbook and gazed at the beginnings of the picture. "Hmmmm….you're drawing Zell?" He asked softly then as he saw the others slight nod he chuckled. "Had enough of Squall?"

Blinking Lai blushed softly, turning his face aside, causing Squall in turn to tilt his head slightly in curiosity as he wondered at the others reaction. "No…not really, but, I thought some of Zell would be nice, especially since he has to put up with me being here." Lai replied, lightly biting his bottom lip in a way that caused the other males to stare, although for various reasons. "That and it's getting hard to remember what Squalls face felt like so I doubt I could draw it." He added almost sadly.

Settling back on the bed Leo watched while chatting with Zell as Lai shifted and got up, picking up his things from the bed and carried them over to his bag which lay not far from Squall. Kneeling down on the floor next to his bag Lai fumbled with it for a moment before he slipped his things inside and instead pulled out his silk white pajamas to change into them. A slight frown touched his near perfect features before it melted away into a small mysterious smile. "I'm going to go have my shower now, everyone else should be in their rooms by now." He said as he 'gazed' behind him towards where he could hear the chatter of his friends.

Both shifted to stand up. "Want me to go with?" They asked in unison.

Chuckling softly Lai shook his head, reaching for his shower kit and set his pajamas atop it before he rose to his feet. "No, it's ok, you two sound like you're enjoying yourselves." He told them as he shifted and rose to his feet, holding his things against his stomach as he turned and reached out to open the door before stepping out.

Casting a look towards Leo and Zell Squall shifted and moved to follow the pale teen, keeping his footsteps soft as he walked down the hall behind him, keeping watch as Zell, Leo and even himself had done countless times now whenever Lai had wanted to go somewhere. Idly, as he slipped into the large bathroom and stood to one side as the long haired student undressed and set his dirty clothes and his pajamas in his locker before heading towards the showers, he wondered if pity was enough to drive him and the others to hover over their seemingly frail friend as they had been doing since his attack.

"You didn't have to come with me, you know." Lai said softly as he paused in the doorway to the showers, his head turned slightly to 'gaze' over his shoulder towards the changing room.

Watching the pale teen for a moment Squall shifted to move closer. "Whatever..."


End file.
